Worst aircraft of WW2? (Continued) - Page 42 - Aircraft of World War II

ndicki · 11-20-2006, 08:04 AM

Wildcat, you're dead right. An aiorcraft is a bad one when it fails to do the job it was intended for. The Wirraway was not a fighter - so it shouldn't be judged as one.

What about the Boomer?

Wildcat · 11-20-2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ndicki

Wildcat, you're dead right. An aiorcraft is a bad one when it fails to do the job it was intended for. The Wirraway was not a fighter - so it shouldn't be judged as one.

What about the Boomer?

As much as I love the Boomerang it was a very mediocre fighter. It wasn't called the panic fighter for nothing, when the RAAF was caught with its pants down with no modern fighters and very few a/c from Britain or the US(hence the use of Wirraways), the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) quickly made plans to produce a fighter a/c using readily available components. The powerplant was the P&W 1200hp Twin Wasp which was being built here for Australian made Beauforts and most of the other components were from the Wirraway. the Boomerang went from drawing board to first flight in only 14 weeks!
The faults of the Boomer was it's slow speed and bad performance over 15 000ft. Many times the Boomerangs couldn't close with Japanese a/c to engage them.
Its good points was it good armament (2x20mm cannon and 4x.303machine guns) and great manoeuvrability at low levels, apparently it was a great a/c to fly and its pilots loved them.
Although a dud as an interceptor, it excelled in the ground attack role in which it was used to great success in New Guinea, the Solomons and Borneo. The Boomerangs were famous for zipping in and out of valleys to draw enemy ground fire which they would either strafe or mark with smoke for other allied a/c. They were paticularly successfull with RNZAF corsairs.
So I guess in the fighter role it is a candidate for the worst a/c but it more then proved it's worth it the ground attack role for which it is best known for.

mkloby · 11-24-2006, 10:59 PM

Are there boomerangs that hit the air show scene over yonder??

Seawitch · 12-18-2006, 12:57 AM

The Boomerang was the plane that never shot down another plane isn't it?
I still give the Boulton Paul Defiant my vote as the lemon of the War though.
Why did they not give it guns up front? I can't answer that but it wouldn't have turned it into anything worth carrying on with.
Built with first world war attitude!

Wildcat · 12-18-2006, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkloby

Are there boomerangs that hit the air show scene over yonder??

Yup, two so far but hopefully more to come..

the lancaster kicks ass · 12-18-2006, 02:39 PM

we've covered the defiant issue many times, far from the worst aircraft!

mkloby · 12-19-2006, 10:38 PM

Very nice Wildcat - I like the pic

P38 Pilot · 12-20-2006, 08:29 PM

Ive got one. What about the Soviet I-16?

pbfoot · 12-20-2006, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the lancaster kicks ass

we've covered the defiant issue many times, far from the worst aircraft!

heard many compliments on its stability and its use as an air gunnery trainer or target tug

FLYBOYJ · 12-20-2006, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P38 Pilot

Ive got one. What about the Soviet I-16?

Actually in its day it was a good aircraft, tricky to fly, it was obsolete by the start of WW2.

the lancaster kicks ass · 12-21-2006, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbfoot

heard many compliments on its stability and its use as an air gunnery trainer or target tug

not only that but she enjoyed a lot of success early on, and then went on to have success as a night fighter, she was a victim of pre-war RAF thinking, not a bad aircraft as such...........

mkloby · 12-21-2006, 08:52 AM

The greatest thing aout the Defiant is the boldness that she represented. Sometimes high scommands lack this attribute - crap there was a time when some doubted an all metal low wing cantilever monoplane would fly due to weight, no lift, and weak thrust.

the lancaster kicks ass · 12-21-2006, 01:12 PM

well the entire concept of a turret fighter was proven wrong so she was a bad aircraft in that sence......

exec228 · 12-21-2006, 02:03 PM

i'd not be so categorical.
mig-3 was built with hi-alt dogfights in mind, but east front demanded low-to-medium alt superiority. at these alts mig-3 became bulky and hardly match to friedrich. on the other hand, at high-alt mig-3 had quite actual performance until 1944, i believe. and soviets even developed high-alt mig-line as A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A with backup project D and DD! just in case.
it's hard to say wether mig-3 is good or bad. i'd say "good in the field of unlucky conception".
i think that defiant is not too bad night fighter (when dogfigts are absent), since many nations sought for ideas different from axis guns and came to schrage musik. some of night fighters with pilot-controlled schrage musik even were two-seat planes.

P38 Pilot · 12-21-2006, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLYBOYJ

Actually in its day it was a good aircraft, tricky to fly, it was obsolete by the start of WW2.

By the looks of it, it doesent look like a good aircraft. (Looks almost like a toy.) But looks can be decieving!

11-20-2006, 08:04 AM	#616
ndicki Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 777	Wildcat, you're dead right. An aiorcraft is a bad one when it fails to do the job it was intended for. The Wirraway was not a fighter - so it shouldn't be judged as one. What about the Boomer? __________________ BATTLE OF FRANCE PROJECT for Combat Flight Simulator 3

11-24-2006, 10:59 PM	#618
mkloby Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,561	Are there boomerangs that hit the air show scene over yonder?? __________________ If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines

12-18-2006, 12:57 AM	#619
Seawitch Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: London Posts: 116	The Boomerang was the plane that never shot down another plane isn't it? I still give the Boulton Paul Defiant my vote as the lemon of the War though. Why did they not give it guns up front? I can't answer that but it wouldn't have turned it into anything worth carrying on with. Built with first world war attitude! __________________ Probably the world's best aircraft... www.seawitchartist.com

12-18-2006, 02:39 PM	#621
the lancaster kicks ass Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 19,945	we've covered the defiant issue many times, far from the worst aircraft! __________________ "Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy."

12-19-2006, 10:38 PM	#622
mkloby Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,561	Very nice Wildcat - I like the pic __________________ If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines

12-20-2006, 08:29 PM	#623
P38 Pilot Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Auburn,Alabama; USA Posts: 1,822	Ive got one. What about the Soviet I-16? __________________ Its better to have an Army of deer being led by a lion, rather an Army of Lions being led by a deer...

12-21-2006, 08:52 AM	#627
mkloby Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,561	The greatest thing aout the Defiant is the boldness that she represented. Sometimes high scommands lack this attribute - crap there was a time when some doubted an all metal low wing cantilever monoplane would fly due to weight, no lift, and weak thrust. __________________ If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines

12-21-2006, 01:12 PM	#628
the lancaster kicks ass Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 19,945	well the entire concept of a turret fighter was proven wrong so she was a bad aircraft in that sence...... __________________ "Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy."

12-21-2006, 02:03 PM	#629
exec228 Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 69	i'd not be so categorical. mig-3 was built with hi-alt dogfights in mind, but east front demanded low-to-medium alt superiority. at these alts mig-3 became bulky and hardly match to friedrich. on the other hand, at high-alt mig-3 had quite actual performance until 1944, i believe. and soviets even developed high-alt mig-line as A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A with backup project D and DD! just in case. it's hard to say wether mig-3 is good or bad. i'd say "good in the field of unlucky conception". i think that defiant is not too bad night fighter (when dogfigts are absent), since many nations sought for ideas different from axis guns and came to schrage musik. some of night fighters with pilot-controlled schrage musik even were two-seat planes.

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